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Architect speaks at drop-in session about plans for new facilities

McMichael Ruth, with the architects firm Tillman Ruth Robins, spoke during a drop-in session at Lambton College on Friday January 8, 2016 in Sarnia, Ont., about plans for a health and fitness expansion set to begin this year at the college. Paul Morden/Sarnia Observer/Postmedia Network

A $42-million expansion set to begin this year at Lambton College will shape its future, says the project's architect.

McMichael Ruth spoke during an information session Friday for staff, students and members of the community about plans for a $30-million Nova Chemical Health and Research Centre, and a $12-million athletics and fitness centre, to be built on the campus in Sarnia.

Ruth showed floor plans, and a 3D computer model of the two-storey expansion to be built between the existing main college building and Modeland Road.

“I think it's going to a transformational project,” Ruth said.

“It will give a new face to the college.”

The expansion will connect to the existing building on two levels, and include a large new gymnasium and fitness facilities, along with a lecture theatre and state-of-the-art facilities for health science students, and research.

The design is intended to be “open, welcoming and accessible” with glass-walled hallways along the exterior so activity in the building will be visible from outside.

“It's incredible, even right now, the amount of excellent learning and teaching that's happening on campus, that is very hard to access,” Ruth said.

“Now, we're putting that on display. That is one of the driving ideas of the building.”

Plans also include a glass tower “beacon” with the college logo that will draw attention, and be part of an atrium where the fitness and health science sections of the building meet.

This will be the first major addition to the college in several years.

Ruth said matching the expansion with the existing building was a challenge.

“It's a unique architecture right now,” Ruth said about the college campus.

“So, we're trying to careful of scale and materials, and try to make it tie in, but at the same time be a next generation.”

Those at the session asked about accessibility, if the building will acknowledge the First Nations, sustainability and sound separation between the gym and classrooms.

Ruth, and college president Judith Morris, said all of those issues are being considered as planning moves ahead.

The college has been working for several years to put funding in place for the expansion, leading up an announcement in 2015 that the federal and provincial governments will each contribute $10 million to the health building.

Nova Chemicals came on with a $2-million donation, and Lambton County had earlier pledged $5 million.

A fundraising campaign is to gather the balance of the funding needed, while financing for the athletics and fitness centre has been in place for some time.

Ruth has been working on the project for six months.

“It's an aggressive time line, but a manageable time line,” he said about the design work required between now and when construction is expected to begin in September.

A senior team of staff at the college is working on planning for the expansion, along with three user groups.

In total, approximately 50 people at the college are involved, Morris said.

“It's lots of work, obviously, in terms of time and energy and planning, but it is a labour of love,” she said.

“This will, I think, demonstrate what a college is capable of” and show that Lambton is “on the cutting edge,” Morris said.